Bretovia
Bretovia is a dwarven republic located on the mainland of Outmost. Bretovia, although not the first, is the oldest realm to exist on Outmost, allegedly its founding was in 112KF. The state's geography is a mixture between both mountainous terrain towards the south and westerly points, and a large jungle which encompasses the north and easterly parts. Bretovia also has numerous island holdings off the mainland. History Bretovia was a quiet and tranquil state, though in recent times the political, economic and social scene has become quite turbulent. The Kingdom Bretovia had, for most of its existence, been an executive monarchy, power was granted and wielded by whoever was the current monarch. The monarch not only governed the realm politically, but also spiritually; the dwarven monarch is, according to some, a partial deity, bestowed with powers that allow them to communicate with the ancestors of old. And it is for this reason that the monarchy (or at least the bloodline of the royalty) is revered. The Kingdom enjoyed a long golden age which peaked in 287KF upon the completion of the mighty Obermark palace. Culture, technology and even faith flourished in this time. Bretovia began to enter a period of stagnation however, it is believed that this was initially started by an economy crippled with debt combined with an extensive outbreak of Vodonic plague. Mismanagement and deficiency became practical bywords for the failing Bretovian Kingdom. In 571KF the Bretovian kingdom, which was almost bankrupt and in a near anarchic state, finally ceased to be a monarchy, the royal family opted to draft a constitution and reduce their position to a mere ceremonial one in hopes that it may just turn Bretovia's misfortunes around. Bretovian Imperium A parliament was established and lasted a mere two months before all power was eventually usurped by General Izar Bernstein. The chaos of the newly established parliament allowed for Izar to almost effortlessly crown himself Emperor of Bretovia. The ceremony was short and rather controversial (as it did not include any religious figure heads), most of the attendants were apparently colonels and other high ranking officers. Izar's reign began with a wide spectrum of economic reform. In 576KF Izar began a series of tax reforms which won over much support from the nobility (whom the new policies were aimed at). Constant cuts in taxes created both investment and crucial support from the oligarchy Izar seemed to be creating. The next step was the privatisation of the country's vast public sector. The state owned Bretovian Excavation Company (BEC) had, for a long time, been a source of pride for the Bretovian citizenry, who upon finding out that their once world renowned mining company was being divided up and contracted out in little pieces, began to protest on the streets. Izar attempted to calm the protesters by adorning every street, alley and lamppost with posters which explained the benefits of market competition, this however did not soothe the enraged Bretovians (especially when they found out that much of the BEC was contracted to Izar's fellow generals). Mild economic success was enjoyed in the early stages of Izar's reign, however the ambitious general would later blunder the wealth he helped create through a series of disastrous wars and domestic policies. The first (of a long list) of the disasters was the expulsion of all elves from the realm. While at first being a popular policy, the countries economy quickly began to deteriorate from a lack of skilled labour. The second blunder was a failed attempt to launch the world's fist steam-powered naval vessel. Wrongly believing to be at the forefront of naval technology, Izar ordered the hurried construction of an ironclad, the vessel subsequently sank alongside half of the nation's yearly revenue. The last, and perhaps greatest, blunder of them all would be the failed invasion of the island city state, Kongresra in 590KF. The campaign was logistically a nightmare (being over 100 leagues from the closest Bretovian port), dwarven soldiers disembarked from their ships confused and disorientated. Many drowned and many more had no weapons at all, the disorganisation of the advancing Bretovians was almost comical. Many of the newly issued Sparkmuskets let off pathetic puffs of smoke due to the naval landing, most were therefore used as clubs. This disaster was meant to distract the dwarves of Bretovia from the existing internal problems, however it only created more, and so in late 593KF Izar abdicated his position as Emperor and left (with his money) to live a life of solitude. Later Years Despite the departure of the supreme dictator, the Imperium continued to exist. Rather than cede any power, the top brass of Izar's extensive military decided instead to cling on to any semblance of power they could get their hands on. This resulted in a united Bretovia only in words, in reality military cliques and warlords squabbled amongst each other in a desperate power game to secure the position of Emperor of the Bretovian Imperium. This infighting continued for almost a century (resulting in a staggering 45 Emperors in just 94 years), until in 687KF a republican movement swept across the country and successfully declared the First Bretovian Republic. The Bretovian Republic Now known as the second Bretovian Republic thanks to a short lived revival of the Imperium, the republic has governed Bretovia since its conception in 687KF. Bretovia has unfortunately been reduced to a second rate power due to the republic's reluctance to spend militarily. Economically however, Bretovia has prospered, a free trade policy and a relatively low tax rate allows for both citizens and businesses to live and spend comfortably. It is due to these factors that Bretovia is often described as a dormant regional power.